Senate Government Operations trims internet voting from H.474, debates write‑in deadlines, audits and ballot naming

The Senate Committee on Government Operations on April 18 debated multiple provisions in House Bill 474, a miscellaneous elections bill, and agreed to remove the bill's section authorizing electronic ballot return after security testimony from Verified Voting.

The committee's action matters because the provisions under discussion would change how Vermont counts write‑in votes, who decides a candidate's official ballot name, whether routine post‑election audits must be random, and when write‑in candidates must notify clerks''all items that affect clerks' workloads and voter access.

Committee members heard from CJ Coles, deputy director of legislative affairs for Verified Voting, who told the panel that internet voting and electronic ballot return remain high risk. "Internet voting is electronic ballot return. Electronic ballot return is internet voting," Coles said, adding that national security and technical reviews since 2004 have repeatedly found unresolved vulnerabilities and that federal election‑security resources have been reduced.

After Coles's presentation several senators said the section on electronic ballot return should…